Good Friday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today edition is sponsored by Boulder Emotional Wellness, offering counseling for individuals, couples, children and families in Boulder since 2008, with in-person and telehealth appointments, most major insurance accepted and sliding-scale options available.
Leading today: A Republican-led congressional committee chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio is demanding records from Boulder officials related to the city and county’s sanctuary immigration policies, including cooperation with ICE and local prosecution practices. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty dismissed the inquiry as “political theater” and defended the county’s approach as consistent with Colorado law. Brooke Stephenson reports.
Also today, in housing news: Boulder City Council cleared the way for a 60-unit affordable senior housing project on Arapahoe Avenue, and officials released the final draft of a new comprehensive plan that could allow roughly 35% more housing capacity citywide.
Below the Fold:
- BoulderCAST: Drought relief and a Memorial Day weather rebound.
- City of Boulder: Show off your climate-ready yard, earn a $50 gift card (sponsored).
- Housing: Senior project advances as Boulder growth plan nears final vote.
- Nonprofits: Boulder seeks volunteers to review grant applications.
- Chautauqua, Hessie: Free summer shuttle service returns.
- Memorial Day: BOLDERBoulder closures and city schedule changes ahead.
Thanks, as always, for reading,
– The BRL team
Feeling Stuck? You Don’t Have to Navigate It Alone. Boulder Emotional Wellness at 3434 47th St. offers compassionate counseling for individuals, couples, children and families in-person and via telehealth for convenience. We treat anxiety, trauma, grief, relationship struggles, depression and more. Most major insurance accepted, including Medicaid and Medicare and Aetna, Anthem, Kaiser, Cigna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare. Sliding-scale fees available. Serving Boulder since 2008. Call 303-225-2708 ext. 101 or visit here.
House committee targets Boulder sanctuary policies, demands records from local officials
The congressional committee accused Boulder officials of obstructing immigration enforcement and requested records related to ICE cooperation, prosecutions and local sanctuary policies. District Attorney Michael Dougherty dismissed the inquiry as “political theater.” Continue reading…
Turning the corner into a warmer, drier holiday weekend
After a week filled with passing disturbances and daily bouts of rain, we’re finally starting to turn a corner toward calmer weather across the Boulder area.
We’ll squeeze in some morning sunshine before clouds build again later on, and while a stray shower could pop up, most of the activity should stay south of our area. Highs remain on the cool side in the mid‑60s. Tonight temps dip into the mid-40s.
The bigger story is the great holiday weekend ahead as a ridge rebuilds over Colorado, bringing warmer temperatures, longer stretches of sunshine, and only about a 10% chance of a brief storm each afternoon. Highs rebound into the low 70s Saturday and push toward the low 80s by Sunday, setting up a genuinely pleasant holiday weekend. This includes warm, dry conditions for Monday morning’s BOLDERBoulder festivities, though we are watching for thunderstorms later in the day.
Thanks to the recent soggy (and don’t forget snowy) pattern, Boulder has picked up more precipitation in the last two weeks than in the previous six months combined, and we’re finally seeing some signs of drought improvement across the county. We’re not out of the woods yet, but the local trend is encouraging, and another shift toward unsettled weather again next week should help maintain that momentum.
Submit your climate-ready landscape to Boulder’s new community showcase (sponsored)
Celebrate the landscapes helping our community adapt to a changing climate. Whether it’s a backyard, a shared neighborhood space or even a small apartment balcony, submit your project or idea and help spotlight the power of climate‑ready design in Boulder.
All projects that meet the basic criteria will be featured in our digital showcase, and the first 200 qualifying submissions will receive a $50 gift card as a thank you for participating.
Affordable senior housing project clears final landmarking hurdle
The Boulder City Council on Thursday declined to pursue landmarking of a 1920s bungalow, officially closing the door on what would have been a significant obstacle to constructing a 60-unit permanently affordable housing development for older adults on Arapahoe Avenue.
Presbyterian Manor is planning to relocate or demolish four nearly 100-year-old Craftsman bungalows to make way for a new three-story building adjacent to the nonprofit’s existing 11-story tower at 1050 Arapahoe Ave. All rental units would be restricted to residents 62 and older earning at or below 60% of the area median income.
Earlier this year, the city’s Landmarks Board voted to begin the process of designating one of the homes, 990 Arapahoe Ave., a historic landmark. Project team representatives said the development would not be feasible if the home were preserved and offered to donate the homes to help with relocation. Read on BRL.
Boulder’s new growth blueprint heads toward final vote, could allow significantly more housing
Following public feedback, a recommended draft of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan is now available for public review. Updated every five to 10 years, the plan guides the City of Boulder and Boulder County on land-use policy, from housing development to open space protection.
One of the key changes in the latest draft is new language stating that “the city supports increasing the housing supply.” The change followed a recommendation from the city’s Housing Advisory Board to include a statement acknowledging the need to increase the overall supply of housing in the Boulder Valley.
The plan does not set a specific goal for additional housing. But the draft is expected to create capacity for about 35% more housing than the current plan, according to a city official. Under existing policy, about 350 to 400 housing units are permitted in the city each year on average. The plan focuses on land-use changes that support more single-unit attached housing, such as duplexes, triplexes and townhomes.
Adoption hearings and opportunities for public comment will begin in June. Deliberation and voting will begin in mid-June. Community members can register to speak at city council meetings. The timeline is as follows:
- June 4: Joint public hearing for City Council and City Planning Board
- June 11: Joint public hearing for County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners
- June 16: Deliberation by City Planning Board
- June 17: Deliberation by County Planning Commission
- June 25: Deliberation and vote by Boulder City Council and county commissioners
Boulder seeks residents to help review nonprofit grant applications
The City of Boulder is looking for residents to help review nonprofit capital project applications as part of its Community, Cultural, Resilience and Safety tax grant program.
The 0.3% sales and use tax, first approved by voters in 2014 and extended permanently in 2025, helps fund city infrastructure and community investments. Up to 10% of revenue can be distributed to nonprofits for capital projects intended to help organizations maintain and improve their presence in Boulder.
Residents selected for the review process will work with city staff in July and August and should expect at least eight hours of application review and two to three hours of meetings. The priority deadline to apply is May 25. Questions can be directed to Annie Scott at scotta@bouldercolorado.gov.
Free summer shuttles return to Chautauqua and Hessie Trailhead
The free Park-to-Park shuttle to Chautauqua will begin the 2026 service season on Saturday, May 23. Service will be available every weekend and on summer holidays, including July 4, through Monday, Sept. 7, with stops in downtown Boulder, University Hill and along Broadway. The shuttle runs every 30 minutes from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Real-time information will be available through the Transit app.
Meanwhile, Boulder County’s free Hessie Trailhead shuttle service begins Friday, May 22, carrying hikers from Nederland High School to the busy Hessie Trailhead near the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Officials are encouraging visitors to avoid parking congestion by taking RTD’s NB route from Boulder to Nederland and connecting to the shuttle. Service runs Fridays, weekends and holidays through Oct. 11, with shuttles departing about every 15 minutes during operating hours.
Memorial Day closures and BOLDERBoulder heads up
City of Boulder administrative facilities, Age Well services and Boulder County government offices will be closed Monday for Memorial Day.
The BOLDERBoulder returns Monday morning, with significant traffic impacts and road closures expected across Boulder. Most closures will be in place by 6 a.m., with the Pearl and Folsom intersection closed from 11-11:45 a.m. All streets are expected to reopen by 1 p.m.
The North Boulder Recreation Center will open from 1:30-6 p.m. because of race-related closures. The East Boulder Community Center and South Boulder Recreation Center will be closed.
Scott Carpenter and Spruce pools will be open from 1:30-6 p.m. Boulder Reservoir will operate from 6 a.m.-8 p.m., with swimming available from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Flatirons Golf Course and all trails will remain open.
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